Anti-drone march in Pakistan aborted after Taliban threat

Graphics

ANTI-DRONE MARCH HALTED IN PAKISTAN

A convoy protesting U.S. drone strikes led by Imran Khan, the cricket star turned politician, stopped short Sunday of its goal to reach Pakistan's lawless tribal area after threats of an attack from the Pakistani Taliban. After a grueling two-day march from Islamabad, Khan halted the procession just past Tank, the last town before South Waziristan, a dangerous region of the tribal area that is generally considered a no-go zone for Westerners and others, even though the Pakistani army supposedly had driven out the Taliban in 2009. Khan said in a statement the military contacted him to warn of a “genuine threat” ahead. On Friday, the Pakistani Taliban issued a statement criticizing Khan and the march, and U.S. diplomats had warned Americans among the marchers of a possible terrorist attack.

ROTHKO MURAL

DEFACED IN LONDON

A vandal scrawled graffiti on a mural by modern American master Mark Rothko at London's Tate Modern on Sunday. The mural, one of Rothko's Seagram series, was defaced when a visitor to the Tate applied “a small area of black paint with a brush to the painting,” the gallery said. A photograph posted on Twitter by a gallery visitor showed words, including the name Vladimir, scrawled in the corner of the painting.

ISRAEL JETS FLY MOCK RAIDS OVER LEBANON

Israeli warplanes swooped low over Lebanese villages Sunday in a menacing show of force apparently aimed at the Hezbollah guerrilla group after a mysterious raid by an unmanned aircraft that was shot out of Israeli skies over the weekend. Israel was still investigating Saturday's incident, but Hezbollah quickly emerged as the leading suspect because it has an arsenal of sophisticated Iranian weapons and a history of trying to deploy similar aircraft.

KUWAIT RULER

DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT

Kuwait's ruler dissolved parliament Sunday, a step toward ending months of political gridlock and calling the second elections this year that could again swing in favor of opposition groups led by Islamist factions. The move by Kuwait's Western-allied emir, announced on state-run media, followed a failed attempt last month by the government to overturn a voting district law that appeared to favor the opposition. New elections must now be held within 60 days.

U.S. EMBASSY ISSUES ISLAMABAD WARNING

Americans in Islamabad, Pakistan, are being warned to stay away from government buildings and several major hotels in the city because of the threat of terrorism. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Sunday cited a general threat alert from the Ministry Interior of the government of Pakistan that warned of terrorist attacks aimed at certain government buildings downtown and several hotels and motels popular with visitors, including the Marriott, Holiday Inn, Best Western and the Margalla Motel.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.